LoD: The Scarlet Edge of The Sword
by DiamondClaw
Summary: It's been two long years after Melbu Frahma's death. Many things have happened, such as the kidnapping of Shana. When Dart is hired as an assassin to prevent a full-scale war, what comes of it? Please R&R! (Note: This is sort of a 'what if' fic)
1. The Predominant

Legend of Dragoon: The Scarlet Edge of The Sword  
  
By DiamondClaw, 3/29/02  
  
(Legal Note: I do not own Legend of Dragoon, Sony, or any of these characters. Please don't sue!)  
  
Prologue:  
  
By Soa's will,  
  
Thy shall stain thine hands with  
  
The blood of thy blood.  
  
So it shall be written,  
  
So it shall be done.  
  
-Book of Soa, verse 68  
  
CHAPTER ONE: The Predominant  
  
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" After serving his duty as Protector of The World, Dart was reduced to becoming a prize fighter. Everybody he fought feared him; he was undefeated, and his punches were like taking a crowbar to the head. After two long years of this noise, Dart decided to throw in the towel. He had made more than enough to support himself for the rest of his natural life, and he bought a new home in Bale with his winnings. He missed Shana; everybody thought they would be wed, but a tragic incident a year and a half ago separated them. She was capture when soldiers from a continent called Zaheria came to 'visit' her. But on THIS day, seemingly no different from any other day, Dart's life will radically change….  
  
Dart was sitting in his living room when he heard a knock on the door. He walked over and opened it. It was a messenger of King Albert.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Sire, the great King requests your presence at Indels Castle immediately! Please come with me!" Dart followed the messenger to the castle and into the throne room. King Albert was waiting with a stern look on his face. Dart knelt before him.  
  
"You may stand." Dart rose to his feet. "I need your services for a rather risky job. Three weeks ago, Zaherian troops once again stormed the Serdian border. These attacks are becoming more frequent and forceful."  
  
"Why are you just now telling me this?"  
  
"Because this morning, I got a letter from someone named 'The Ankh of Darkness'. This person says that a full-scale war with the Zaherians is coming, and that they will personally be leading the first wave. This person, whomever they may be, is a great threat to the security of all Endiness, and must be assassinated immediately. I'll pay any price you name if you take the job."  
  
"I'll do it for free if you answer me a question."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Anything on the Dragoon Stones?"  
  
"None. Ever since they disappeared after Shana's kidnapping, nobody has seen them again. Now, if you'll follow me, I can give you suitable equipment for your quest." Albert pressed a button on his throne. A passageway opened up behind it. Albert disappeared into it, and Dart followed.  
  
"What's this place?" Dart asked.  
  
"It's a weapons research facility we built about a year ago. We've been experimenting with metals found in some ruins southwest of here. We've made some great strides in our research." When they reached the facility, Albert pressed another button. A platform with various tools sprung forth from the ground. "Let's begin. This sword is made of a metal called Biotican iron. Effectively, it 'learns' through combat. Whatever goes through this sword, goes through you. With a sword, you'll naturally be needing a shield. We excavated one from the ruins. It's not invincible, but we find that it increases the wearer's natural reflexes somewhat. Next, we have standard assassin's throwing daggers, effective up to 200 feet. And, we have a SAB – Spaceless Accessory Bag. By using principles of compressed space, we've created a bag that can hold a seemingly infinite amount of items."  
  
"Wow. Seems like quite a lineup. So, where does this mission begin?"  
  
"At tomorrow's first light, you'll leave on a boat in a hidden dock to the Zaherian port city Hargosa. Go to the capital city Sebastian from there, go to the bar, and ask for Leon. He'll give you more information on your target. It may also be a good idea to find allies. The only one of our old group I know the whereabouts of is Rose. She moved to Hargosa about sixteen months ago. I would help you, but I must stay and attend to matters of the state. Good luck, Dart, and godspeed."  
  
"I won't let you down, Albert. I'll take this person down, no matter what the cost."  
  
----------------------------------  
  
Dart arrived at the hidden dock early the next morning. A familiar face was there to greet him.  
  
"It's been awhile, Dart."  
  
"You too, Commodore."  
  
"I'd like to be the first to introduce you to the Queen Fury's sister ship, the Berserk Valkyrie. How do you like her? She's just as fast as the Fury, and she can hold her own in a sea battle."  
  
"She's quite nice. When are we going to set sail?"  
  
"We were waiting for you. We can go whenever you're ready."  
  
"Well, let's go, then." Dart and Puler boarded the ship. Minutes later, they were off towards Zaheria. Dart slept until noon, when a loud cry awoke him.  
  
"Attack!!! Enemies on board!!!"  
  
Dart quickly rose up, grabbed his sword and shield, and rushed to the top deck. Two of the Valkyrie's sailors were in combat with some zombies. What disturbed Dart even more was the fact that there was a human figure, cloaked in black armor, leading them. Dart ran up to the zombies, and with one mighty cleave, split them all in half. He then engaged the armored figure.  
  
"Who are you, and how did you get on board?"  
  
The figure's voice was feminine. "Dart….do not go to Zaheria….something horrible will happen…" The figure disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
"I've heard of her." A sailor spoke out. "That was Eliphea, the Dark Prophet."  
  
"Yeah." Another said. "She attacks you, and if you survive, she burdens your soul with some kind of bad news."  
  
"I don't care. I'm still going to complete my goal." Dart said. "How much farther to Zaheria?"  
  
"Hargosa is right over the horizon, sir."  
  
"Good."  
  
(Dart heads to Zaheria to assassinate the Ankh of Darkness. But what lies ahead? What 'horrible' thing has Eliphea prophesized? Someone works against the tide, but who? Find out in the next chapter of The Scarlet Edge of The Sword!)  
  
(AUTHOR'S NOTE: I never did complete LoD, so some of the facts in this story may or may not be accurate. I don't know, please don't complain, I do the best with what I have.) 


	2. Imminent Survival

Legend Of Dragoon: The Scarlet Edge of The Sword  
by DiamondClaw  
  
(Legal Stuff: I do not own LoD, Sony, or anything else. Please don't sue!)  
  
Prologue:  
The chains of Man hath rusted.  
The swords of Man hath broken.  
Liberation comes at the price  
Of many ounces of blood.  
-Book of Soa, verse 130  
  
CHAPTER TWO: Imminent Survival  
(Last time, Dart began his quest, and had a run-in with the Dark Prophet, Eliphea. After receiving a dreadful warning of a 'horrible' thing to pass, Dart heads to Hargosa. What awaits him in this seemingly calm port city?)  
  
Dart stepped off the Berserk Valkyrie and into the bustling port city of Hargosa. People here seemed generally normal, save for the fact that their ears were pointier than normal. Wandering through the city, Dart didn't watch where he was going- until he slammed into a local citizen.  
"Hey! Watch what yer doin'!" the man said.  
"Sorry. I'm new here."  
"Hmm...you look like that girl from Endiness..."  
"You know her?"  
"Yep. She lives in that house over there." He jerked his thumb towards a rather large house. "Oh, and by the way..."  
"Yes?"  
"You look lost. If you need anything, go to my house- it's that big one across the street from where you're going. My name's Arc, and it was nice to meetcha. Let's just try *not* to bump into each other again, okay?"  
"Thank you. I'm Dart, it's a pleasure. Well, so long." Dart walked towards the house, and knocked on the door. A feeble old woman answered. "Yes, sonny? What can I do fer ya?"  
Dart seemed confused for a moment. "Is Rose here?"  
"Oh! You're looking for Rose. Just a moment." She turned inside the house. "Rose! Someone's here to see you!" Rose came to the doorway.  
"Hello, Rose."  
"D...Dart? Is that you?"  
"It's been a while. What have you been up to, Rose?"  
"Nothing much. Please, come in."  
Dart walked into the rather elegant living room; its size rivalled that of his house in Bale. He sat down in a fluffy chair across from Rose.  
"Dart. Tell me what's happened in the last year or so."  
"Nothing. It's been the same old stuff. I just recently retired from prize fighting. What did you move away for?"  
"Well...I wanted to die away from everyone else."  
"What do you mean?"  
"After Melbu Frahma died, the magic supporting my eternal life...disappeared. I have served my purpose, I can finally die now. I didn't want anybody to know, so I moved to Hargosa. I was taken in by this family when I got here."  
"Are you going to introduce me?"  
"This is Eliza. She was the one who welcomed me here." A woman and a young boy walked down the stairs. "That's Sara, and her son, James."  
"A guest? Why didn't you tell me, Rose? I'll have to fix him something." said Sara as she walked down the stairs.  
"No, thanks. I won't be here that long." said Dart.  
"Speaking of which, Dart," Rose said, "why are you here?"  
"I came under orders of Albert to perform an assassination. Someone who calls themself the Ankh of Darkness."  
"I've never heard of them before. Must be a new warlord, or something." said Eliza. "Most of Zaheria's generals like to stay behind the scenes."  
"So, you're Dart?" Sara queried. "I've heard of you- you're a famous prize fighter?"  
"Not anymore. How did you know?"  
"My late husband used to bet on those fights they held down in Lohan. He bet on you everytime. People were jealous of his knack for winning, so they ganged up on him and killed him. But what troubles me is that the people who killed him were part of an elite Zaherian Knight Corps. I guess honor doesn't pass for anything these days..."  
"That's not true, mommy." little James piped up. "Honor is a very good thing to have."  
"You're a pretty smart kid. Keep a strong will through life, and someday, it'll pay off." Dart said. "I'm sorry, but I have to go see someone. I'll be back to see you, Rose. After I finish my job."  
"I'm sorry I can't come with you, Dart.' Rose called back.  
Dart walked out of the house, and headed for the big house adjacent to Rose's. He stepped up to the door and knocked. Arc answered. His long hair was tied up, and his muscular body seemed tense.  
"Oh, hiya there, Dart. What can I do for you?"  
"Can I ask you a few questions, Arc?"  
"Certainly. Come on in."  
Arc escorted Dart to a wooden chair in the dining room. They both sat down.  
"So, whatcha need?"  
"I need a guide to get me to Sebastian. Do you know anybody?"  
"Yer lookin' at the best guide in all of Zaheria."  
"How much does it cost?"  
"Tell ya what. I'll do it for free, on one condition."  
"Name it."  
"You gotta let me come with you. I mean, ALL the way through yer journey. I know what you came here to do."  
"How did you figure out my plans?"  
"Let's just say I'm good friends with that old bonehead Leon. Me an' him go way back, to our childhood days."  
"That's good, but how are your combat skills?"  
"I'm an expert marksman. I can shoot a soldier clear between his eyes from 300 feet."  
"You're hired. Now, how do we get to Sebastian?"  
"Sebastian is due east of here, but there's a wall of soldiers on every side. I, however, happen to know of a great shortcut, and possibly the only way to get into Sebastian undetected. There's a cave hidden in some marshes outside of town. It leads to a tunnel built by an old king long ago. From there, it's smooth sailing to Sebastian."  
"Okay then, let's go."  
Dart and Arc crept out of town. They headed towards a desolate and run-down slum. Right before they reached the marsh, a voice shouted out.  
"Dart! By orders of our great King Saramis, you are under arrest!" They turned to look. Before them stood a woman with a sword twice as thick as Dart's.  
"Oh, no!" Arc cried. "I've heard of her. She's one of the generals under the Ankh of Darkness. Her name's Mandy. She once killed forty men bare-handed!"  
"Assassin Dart!" Mandy cried. "You have five seconds to lay down your arms. If you do, I shall spare your life. Resist, and I'll kill you!"  
"Dart! What are we gonna do?"  
"Just this." Dart pulled out one of the daggers, and quickly flung it at Mandy. It hit her below her left kneecap. She knelt down, and hunched in pain. "Run!" Dart and Arc fled.  
"What'd you do?" Arc asked.  
"As a prize fighter, I learned a few things about vital pressure points. The one below the kneecap regulates the blood flow to the leg, so puncturing it temporarily immobilizes the victim."  
"Wow! I didn't even know that!"  
They ran into a deep part of the marsh. Tiredly they laid down in a dry spot of land to rest. After setting up a small fire, the got to talking.  
"How will we sleep with no tent?" Dart asked.  
"We have a tent!" Arc waved his hands. A magic tent appeared.  
"I'm tired." said Dart. "I'm going to sleep right away." Dart disappeared into the tent. Arc stayed outside.  
"Good night, Dart. I only hope I can say the same for you, Althea."  
(It's been a rough journey early on, but already, Dart has gained an ally. What will come of them. Find out next chapter!!!)  
(See author's note, Ch.1) 


End file.
